Maureen Corrigan

Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading

Finding and Losing Myself in Books

Random House, September 2005

“It’s not that I don’t like people,” writes Maureen Corrigan in her introduction to Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading. “It’s just that there always comes a moment when I’m in the company of others—even my nearest and dearest—when I’d rather be reading a book.” In this delightful memoir, Corrigan reveals which books and authors have shaped her own life—from classic works of English literature to hard-boiled detective novels, and everything in between. And in her explorations of the heroes and heroines throughout literary history, Corrigan’s love for a good story shines.

“Irresistible. . . . Corrigan has some wonderful insights. . . . Book lovers will be busy checking her lists, searching for new ‘leave me alone’ titles.”

—The Washington Post Book World

“Corrigan is erudite without being the least bit pretentious. . . . Dipping into Leave Me Alone, I’m Reading is a little like visiting that friend whose house is always full of books and who always sends you home with one you’re excited to read.”

– Detroit Free-Press